After four years out in France, there’s no disguising just how much Lopeti Timani is looking forward to a very different experience here in Wales.
The history-making back-five forward - who has played Test rugby for both Australia and Tonga - spent three seasons with La Rochelle and then a year with Toulon. But now he has pitched up at the Arms Park having signed for Cardiff and it’s clear he feels this will be much more up his street.
“I am looking forward to trying something different after being in France for the last four seasons,” said the former Melbourne Rebels star.
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“In Australia, rugby is a running game, it’s all about playing quick. Then when I moved to France, it was a different kind of rugby they played there. It’s more set-piece stuff. It’s all about the strong man at scrum and mauling. It’s a different experience.
“In my head, Wales means running rugby. So that’s why I was looking forward to moving here, so I can get involved again in that running game I was brought up on back in Australia.
“When I talk about running rugby, it’s all about getting the ball moving. That’s the style of game I like to play, but I haven’t been able to play it for the last four seasons. Now I’m coming back to that style of rugby and I am just looking forward to getting involved. I moved here to show how I play my game and to give a different string to the team.”
Another big reason for joining Cardiff was the prospect of packing down with Wales and Lions great Taulupe Faletau, who has come on board from Bath.
“I was happy to move here because I get to play in the same team as him. That’s what drives me to come to Cardiff,” he said.
“Taulupe is one of the players I have looked up to over the years. It’s very special for me to be able to play with him in the same team.”
Like Faletau, Timani was born in Tonga and made his mark at age-grade level there, but then moved to Australia when he was 18, initially switching to rugby league. He returned to the 15-a-side game after a couple of years and soon caught the eye with the Waratahs, playing against the 2013 touring Lions, ahead of joining the Rebels. Then came 12 caps with the Wallabies, including a 32-8 victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium in November 2016, when he started at No 8.
But with the move to France, it looked as though his Test career was over until World Rugby changed the eligibility rules, enabling him to play for the land of his birth, having not appeared for the Wallabies for three years.
So it was that he made history by becoming the first man to play for a second country under the new rules, stepping out for Tonga against England at Twickenham last November. When you ask him to describe that experience, his reply speaks volumes.
“What’s it like to play for Tonga? Mate, for me, it’s everything. When I played for Australia, I gave everything for Australia, but that’s not where I was born and bred. It’s a different emotional feeling playing for your own country. It’s more than rugby. It’s very special.
“When I finished in Australia, I was thinking that’s me, I won’t be able to play international rugby again. But then I heard I would be able to play for the country of my birth, Tonga. So I took that opportunity. Having another chance to play international rugby is very special because I am representing the country where I come from, where I was born and bred.”
Timani has played pretty much all his Test rugby in the back row, but it’s as a lock he will be employed by Cardiff, who will look to utilise his 6ft 5ins, 19st 2lbs frame in the boilerhouse, while also providing him with a chance to show what he can do around the field.
“I don’t put myself first in the team, I always look at what can I do to benefit the team. Wherever the coach wants me to play to help the team, I am happy to do that,” he says.
“When a coach signs you for a reason, you have got to show it and give it on the field. That’s why I am so excited to be part of the playing squad and looking to give everything I can. I always try to improve and get better every day, whether it be ball-in-hand or some other little stuff around the park.
“Every team has their up and downs, but it’s all about how we can get better. Winning games is the most important thing. It’s all about preparing well and giving everything you have on the field.”
The 31-year-old certainly appears to have settled in well and looked very much at home at the family fun day at the Arms Park, which followed the launch of the new kit.
“I can’t believe how nice the players are. It’s not just the players but all the staff, everyone around me. It makes you feel like you are special. It feels like they respect you for who you are. It’s been great moving here and I’m enjoying it so far,” he said.
Timani is married with two boys - aged three and fifteen months - with another child on on the way. “We are living in Whitchurch. It’s a nice area, the family enjoy it. You’ve got parks and cafes. It looks nice.”
So everything is in place for him embark on the latest chapter of his playing career, in an environment which will allow him to show the real Lopeti Timani.
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